Weird Random Dream Story
by Abstract Buttercups
Summary: Re-write/overhaul of "The Challenge of the Night". JIll, Skye, cooking, "swimming", comic relief at the end. Reviews are a dying species so please help to save them! One-shot. crack at the end, and completely fiction.


**PROLOGUE**

It was that typical dark and stormy night. The inky sky cried softly on the girl's shoulders, her forehead and ponytail dripping with droplets of rain. The mud squealed under her brown boots, one footfall after the other.

The pathway to Lumina's was ridiculous. It had to be at least a 60 degree angle, 300 feet straight up. And why was she torturing herself with the hike?

A hair clip, of all things! Muffy had borrowed it for her wedding, and had come upon Jill sauntering home. She'd said, "Can you deliver this for me Jilly?" Wincing at the nickname, she'd reluctantly nodded her head.

She now wished she hadn't. Huffing, she made it to the top. The wind picked up on the villa's hill, whipping her hair around her face. Pulling the damp mass back, in her view, in the very moonlight, was a stranger.

For a small town, a stranger was news enough. But who would be prowling around at eleven at night, and sporting those horrid clothes?

He would. He was wearing reddish-purple skinny jeans, a grey and black leopard print (over a black undershirt) and shinny black shoes. But the real kicker was the hair.

It was silver - a pure, shiny, silver. Not grey, not white, but silver. She'd thought he was old, but when he turned to her: a lithe, tall frame and pale smooth skin told her he was around her age. He was the epitome of a pretty-boy. HE saw her staring, raised an amused eyebrow, and slipped away into the darkness of the forest.

She snorted, put the clip in the mailbox, and continued on her way. Going down the hill was easier. She walked toward the farm… only to veer off to the path to the pond.

She thought she'd do some fishing tonight… how wrong she was… and that, dear reader, is how it all began…

**JILL POV**

The wind had died down and then the rain had stopped. The air was moist and fresh, the night was… not so young, but it would have to do. I rounded the path, and plunked down on the lush green grasses.

How this place was green in fall was beyond me. Maybe it was the rain… five days in a row was nice because I didn't have to water the crops. But I was wondering if I was going to get ill in the trade off. I got out my fishing pole and cast it into the pond.

Not a ripple, not a sound. It was a night to enjoy the easy silence. The challenge of tonight was to fish. I was in a contest against Ruby…

_FLASHBACK_

_The Inner Inn kitchen was highly fragrant. Mmm, no, scratch that. I felt as if someone had shoved me face-first into a bucket of food All kinds of smelled wafted from all directions. _

_Ruby glanced up at me. Her gentle eyes and easy smile while she was up to her elbows in what looked like flour captivated me. She was calm, content, and carefree. _

"_Ah, dear, how are you Jill? I am cooking right now…" Her accent reminded me of honey: light and sweet._

"_Fine." I get along well with Ruby actually; she seems to me a smart lady… well, with the exception of mothering the brat with a name to match his intellect._

"_Ah, good. I have a request, Jill. Cook against me. A little contest. Nami and Celia are coming over as well. Week after next, what do you say?" she paused kneading the flour, waiting for me to answer._

"_Why not?" I replied with a smile. "I love to cook."_

I decided on a fish stew: simple, but hearty. My mother's recipe…

Sleepy from all my hard work, I lost my balance and fell right into the pond… the frigid waters engulf me.

**SKYE POV**

I walked back toward the villa after that encounter with the purple-eyed woman. She intrigued me. Most girls turned to blithering idiots at the sight of me, and she looks more as if she was repulsed. I was sick of it really. Yes, it aided my job greatly, but it wasn't who I really was.

Sighing, I climbed the drainpipe and the ivy. Once on the second-storey window-ledge, I check them for security systems… there was a grand total of none. The windows were not even locked; just left open for anyone to pull up and hop in. Country folk…

This made my job way to easy, it was slightly disappointing. I love a challenge. That's probably why I got into this line of… work.

I'm a thief, you see. I… alleviate the rich of some of their precious goodies, and sell them. A quarter of the profit goes to charity, a quarter back to the owner (if they don't have insurance), and the rest is mine to live off.

You may raise your eyebrows at my divisions, but even the pirates of old had honor codes, systems and rules. I have mine.

Rule number one: Only steal from those who can afford to loose. So, research the hit.

Rule number two: Never resort to violence or the harm of another person, thing, or property. I am a thief, not a vandalizing hoodlum.

Rule number three: Don't be greedy. Take what you can fit in your pockets, high value, but nothing that looks sentimental. I understand needing something to remember people.

Rule number four: Whatever you do, don't get caught.

Rule number five: If you are caught - don't panic! Get out of there: with or without the booty.

I like my rules. I am a gentleman, no matter what people say. I just happen to not be able to get into a less… risky line of work.

Now, the first word you may think of is dishonest line of work. But you see I am also an honest thief. I send a note to my victims to warn them, usually a few days to a week in advance. Might as well give them a chance, no? It's not my fault they take it as a joke and I get away with it.

Climbing down from the window, I land with an unceremonious thud on the cobblestone pathway, on my backside. Dusting my self off, I straighten, and leave. It was ironic…

…I had left the note on what looked to be a young lady's jewelry box. It certainly had many pretty things in it…

Smirking, I made my way down the insufferable hill the mansion was placed upon, and turned into the street. I keep walking until I came to the bridge by the river. Go to mineral town, or go to the pond?

As a thief, I am the essence of a night owl. No way was I going to be able to sleep at the inn just yet. The night was young, the stars were bright. _Not as bright as a pair of purple eyes_, the little voice in the back of my head said. The voice we all have, and want to strangle some days.

Where did that thought come from?! I had only seen her for a minute or so… yet I could not get those eyes out of my head. So unique… unlike any gem I had ever encountered - which were a lot.

Rounding another bend, the over-grown tree and serene waters came into view… as did the girl I had met…

Going into stealth mode, I hid behind the tree. She did not stir, even as I stepped on a crunchy red leaf. I watched her. She was fishing. Or attempting to… The frustrated look on her face told me there were no bites.

You like her, don't you? Said the voice in my head.

Shut up, I tell it.

Make me, it replied.

I sighed. This could not be normal… how crazy can one lonely thief get? Wait, I don't want to know…

Just as I was about to talk to her, she fell right into the pond…

**JILL POV**

The icy depths swallowed me; my mind became clouded. My limbs were numb, however and I kept sinking…

And then something incredibly strong was pulling on me, it grabbed my wrists and then my waist and lifted me.

Could an octopus live in a pond? Wait that doesn't make sense… why is it's so foggy in here?

Then the fresh air met my face and lungs, I gasped and breathed in the sweetest breath of my life. I was vaguely aware of someone hovering over me, I felt weightless and confused.

Then it all went black as that night's sky…

I awoke to the disgusting smell of disinfectant. Joy oh joys, I'm in a hospital.

I blinked, once, then twice, then again. My eyes adjusted to the lights. I looked around: Wallpaper, a desk, huh?

I looked to my left. In the futon was Doc Trent, a Mineral-Towner, but a fairly good doctor.

He looked up from the book he was reading. He smiled.

"Oh, you're awake. Thought you were going to sleep all day. How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Uh…" I couldn't find much to say. Toes wiggle? Check. Fingers stretch? Check. I sighed.

"Fine, I guess." I muttered. "Where…?" I glanced at him.

"This is the clinic; you know the ugly puke-green building beside the Bar?" He raised an eyebrow.

"No, I didn't know. Guessing it's your home to, considering how informal it is." I replied.

He chuckled. "It's a small valley, and yes, my house is upstairs, too. You should be good to go, you don't look pale anymore and your voice is normal. Just in case, don't work hard for too long, and eat well and rest often. Good advice for everyday, really! If you feel dizzy or funny in any way, come here immediately, okay?" He gave a friendly smile as he showed me the way out.

I was a few steps away when he called to me. I turned back to him.

"Jill, don't go swimming like that, either. You could have died if you were in that water too long, who knows how long you would have been at the bottom of that pond, you hear? You're awfully fortunate the young man was there to fish you out!" My eyes widened.

Some guy got me out of the pond? It was logical, of course, but whom? '…_to fish you out_,' I gasped as I realized I must have lost my fishing pole when I fell. Shucks.

"Doctor… who was it…?" I inquired.

"That's the thing, haven't seen him around before. He had some striking features to him, I'll say. Silver hair of all things, and cat-like eyes, he was taller than me, but I suppose that wouldn't take much…" He trailed off at my stunned looked.

"Do you know him or something?"

"No, no… I, um…" It hade to be the stranger I'd met the night before at Lumina's, but I didn't KNOW him… "Just, I, uh, agree… very odd-looking, silver hair, Haha…" I inwardly groaned. Very smooth, Jill, very smooth…

He let me go, and I walked down the path sauntering, really, and lost in thought. Why had he been there? Was he following me? I shook the confusion as I rounded the bend and walked up to my farm…

…and straight into Uncle Takakura. He was the whole reason I was in this tiny valley-village… He crossed over to me and raised a gigantic black eyebrow.

"And where were you last night, young lady?" I sighed.

"The clinic… I fell into a pond…" I gave him a sheepish smile as he raised the other eyebrow. "Not on purpose, Uncle, I was… fishing…" I explained.

"Klutz…" he muttered and turned to walk away as he said to 'try not to get myself killed because I had a ranch to run'.

Well, _that_ was filled with concern... But that was Uncle Tak for you; a quiet, simple guy on the outside, but a teddy bear within. He was less gruff before my aunt died.

Speaking of said ranch, it was then I realized it was 3:16 in the afternoon – Got to love a waterproof wristwatch - of fall 7th, I had work to do.

The farm was doing fairly well. I'd come on the first of spring to an absolute wasteland, it was slowly improving. The left side of my field in front of the well was a pasture. I'd had to clear the whole darn thing first, however.

If Mayor Thomas kept pushing my buttons I was going to take my hammer to that ridiculous top hat… just the hat, mind you…

As I was saying, the field! The other half is mostly crops, and then there was the tree in the centre. It's fenced off from the animals; sometimes I'll go outside and read a book under it, draw something - chill out, you know?

I had by that point in my barn two cows, two sheep and a horse. I was considering another cow. I loved milk, and the price it fetched was nothing to sneeze at, either.

In my adjoining coop, I had four ducks, and one little guy, plus another in the incubator. With the price of feed higher now and the inability to make my own, I was going to have to limit myself to six feathered friends for now.

In the loft of my barn was a litter of kittens, from an old tabby that had just shown up one day. Barn cats were never a bad thing, and anything they couldn't handle, my dog Hunter could. Beyond that… Tak and I could handle an axe fairly well. But this was the valley, the biggest threat to me or my farm seemed to be the mosquitoes. They were still going strong, I blamed the wet, humid summer and early fall.

After watering everything and taking care of the animals, I walked off my farm. I had two things on my mind: find my fishing pole, and find the vain stalker-dude. Okay… three things: why was he there?

If it was a spot of his to visit, then I likely would not see him until the same time tonight. I checked my watch. 8:34. Well, I was just going to have to kill time until then. I followed the path towards Vesta's, crossed the bridge, and walked into the house after knocking lightly.

Marlin was staring at me. Eep.

"Uh, can I help you, Jill?" He stuttered. For someone who looks like Elvis, he sure doesn't have much confidence. Then again I ain't no socialite either.

"Yeah, I was looking for Celia." He nodded.

"She's upstairs. Go on, do your girlie chat or whatever. I was leaving anyway…" and so he did.

Climbing the odd-shaped ladder, I brought myself up into the attic. It was a cozy room, but not too small. Celia smiled at my visiting, but then her face changed.

"Jill, guess what?" She whispered with mischief in her voice…

The words 'guess what' annoy me. It could mean anything from the childhood dog died to I bought a new axe to I got a blue feather. With the mischievous, cheerful look in her eye, I was betting on the last one. Had Marlin finally gotten some backbone?

I replied, I haven't a clue, you'd better just tell me.

"Well, I heard it from Muffy who heard it from Lumina… *Here I roll my eyes* … and anyway, it was Sebastian who found it anyhow." She finished.

"Found what, though?" I sighed. Patience was not my strong suit.

"Oh! Right! A note from the thief, Skye. He's in our valley!" She squealed. I did a double take. Was that the name of the guy I saw last night? The guy who might have saved my life? And now he's a _thief_?

"What kind of thief leaves a note? Does he warn them or something?" I asked her.

"This thief, and yes, he does. He's strangely honorable people say. But that's not all they say…" She giggled again. I raised and eyebrow and she continued.

"He's CUTE." Oh, no, no. No girly chat. Please no. How do I get out of here?

…And that is how I got dragged to Lumina's. She repeated the whole tale, complete with more squealing.

Rich girl's house is nice. I could defiantly see why Skye would steal from them. They could afford it… and then some.

"Are you even listening, Jill?" HUH? _Yay, you spaced. In public! Even better! Way to go Jill_, the little voice in my head said. Sometimes I wonder about my sanity. Other times, I don't have to wonder at all…

"Yeah, sure, what do you want?" I know. I'm blunt. I'm working on it (occasionally).

"Will you come tonight to help me catch the thief?" Lumina said, rather impatiently.

"Catch a thief, huh? Sure." I casually replied.

Where did that come from? Well, whatever. It might be fun… If only I had known what a domino of events was to come of that, well, I might not have been so eager. It was later I thanked myself, reader, for that hasty reply.

But I digress from the story I am telling you…

To continue, the girls let me go and I walked with Celia as far as my farm. Lumina wanted me there for 11, and I had intended to meet with Skye at the pond then, so I was killing two birds with one junk ore.

I occupied myself by working on a sketch…

What I was working on was line-drawing of the windmills by Vesta's place. I liked their wooden simplicity, and I had the sketch imply a lazy breeze. I used plain paper with just a HB pencil and other light leads, for minimum shading. It was a sunny afternoon scene, and I'm terrible at shading, so I always underestimate it. I fear I'll over do it, I guess.

After some of that, I decided to make my way back to Lumina's. I like to walk at a leisurely pace, but I did say 11, and it was getting close to "if you don't leave now, you'll be a bit beyond fashionably late". The sassy side of me smirked and thought _I don't care about fashion anyway_, but the serious side of me got my legs moving.

I won't bore you with the details of the first caper. Yes, the first. He came, he'd already seen, and he conquered. The thing that stood out most was his eyes…

I love people's eyes. They telling you everything, they cannot lie like the rest of the face. They show mirth, pity, anger, rejection, acceptance, fear, you get the picture.

And his were the most vibrant color I'd ever met. They weren't blue or green distinctively, but both in a brightness and depth that could only be ascribed to the color sea foam, but perhaps a bit bluer. It was mesmerizing, really, especially with what they told me.

1. He really was a good person under the façade.

2. He wasn't happy with how easily people fell for it, but he let it amuse him anyway.

3. Thievery aside, he was smart, kind, and quite possibly shy. Yet he gave of an air of cool confidence. Oh, what appearance reveals…

4. When he looked at me his eyes showed something I could not name. It was partly intrigue and partly something else I would learn of later.

And so, leaving Lumina-the-love-struck-puddle, I finally made my way back to where it all began.

**SKYE POV**

I went to the goddess pond again, leaving my mystery girl and the silly one in my dust. How did she show up again? I questioned my own question: Why do you even care?

Because you like her, the voice said. I groaned.

Not now. Shoo! I commanded.

Nyah, nyah, it taunted.

I was right of course. I could not understand what I saw in her, but I wanted to know what it was, so I let myself become captivated. So I could become un-captivated once I figured her out. And now reader, you have a headache.

That and I had no use in a fishing rod… How could she be so careless? I was glad she was alright, but for some reason I wanted to talk to her. She was silent, but when she did speak, it was outlandishly absurd, obscure, or obscene. She was no lady, and yet she was quite feminine looking. Yet another enigma to surround my favorite farmer (I had learned she was such from the doctor when I had dropped her off the previous night).

_Eyes like violets, amethyst, and every other cliché in the book_, the voice said.

_I'm your conscience, dummy. I'm you. But you know that_, it continued. I sighed. Before I could finish the battle of wits within, I heard a voice…

No, not a case of official crazies, but a person behind me. And of course, it had to be her, my mystery gal.

"Hello. You're Skye, right?"

"Hello," I replied, "what can I do for you, miss?" She narrowed her eyes.

"No need for any sass, now. I came to, uh, thank you… that is, if it was you who-" I smiled at her. Oh yes. It was me.

"I called you 'miss' because I can't seem to place your name. Yes, I got you out of the pond, it was really quite cold, you know. Didn't want you dying, you see. And before you ask, I have your fishing rod." I pulled it from my pocket and handed it to her. She re-pocketed it.

"Oh, thanks. And my name is Jill…"

"Well you know, I'm a thief! The handsome thief Skye, at you service, beautiful Jill!" I grinned.

She would surely want to stay and chat… hopefully I hadn't laid it on too thick. She didn't seem like the type to appreciate my natural flattery. It made her all the more appealing. It's showed she wasn't an empty-headed flower pot like so many other girls.

"Yeah, I kind of got memo that when you were taking Lumina's jewelry…"

"You are wonderful, Miss Jill! Do you know that?" I chuckled. She blinked and walked away. What?!

"Hey," I called, "Stay and chat to a lonely thief, won't you, Jill?" She stopped.

"Nope." She said, continuing on her way.

I was officially confused. Had I offended her?

_Moron, she's probably thinking your bad news, you are a thief!_ My voice said. For simplicity's sake, I shall from now on refer to it as Sam. Yes, I'm bored like that. I'm also cool like that. I will explain the real reason why I chose "Sam" later.

I sighed and sat on the grass, absently pulling at it and throwing it into the pond a few feet away. It was true.

I was lonely.

**JILL'S POV**

I almost felt bad for leaving him there like that.

Almost.

But I'd gotten what I needed: my fishing rod and explanation. Therefore, no need to stay and... It's not like I cared that he was a thief. It was just… oh. I might as well explain.

My name is Vanessa Jillian Porter - Fancy, right? I'm 22 years old. Less than a year ago, my house burned down. Yay for me…

I was the only one left alive. I lost my foster parents (Who I was with since I was nine) and my sister – their kid. She was two years younger than me, but blood didn't matter. The four of us were family.

I lost everything. I had my name, the clothes on my back, and very little else. I cut my losses, said my goodbyes, and made it to Uncle Tak's. He's my real uncle. My foster parents were friends of his. He was my mother's brother… you're probably thinking, where are her real folks?

Car accident when I was a bit less than nine. I had a three year old brother, too. When I was 12, my best friend died in a swimming accident. Don't know what happened to her brother… they were orphans (See my other story, WYD). But I wish I could see Cliff again. He's a nice kid.

In other words, life is tough. I learned it faster than most.

The farm work is exhausting. It's great. I work so hard, I have no time left to think, to dwell... to hurt. And it's rewarding work. I live off it, and the town seems to not mind me. Not a bad trade-off.

Going to bed, I faded into the blessed darkness and nothingness of sleep. I cannot think when I am asleep.

**JILL'S POV**

**T**he first thing I noticed as I came back to reality the next morning was the warmth of the light spilling onto my covers from the window. I buried my head and sank deeper into my blankets and pillows. I wished it would just go away. I love the sun, but waking up was a chore on its own - forget the farm.

The farm! Panic shot thru my foggy brain, as I realized it was in no way still six am if there was that much sun. I blinked rapidly and yawned, stretching all my bones with a crack and pop that could rival an arthritic.

Once my lazy carcass was fed, dressed, and semi-conscious, I looked at the clock for a damage report. It read noon, solid.

My cows were going to kill me. They liked being milked at 7, no later.

I fumbled out the door, tripping over Hunter as I did so.

"What are you doing there, you dumb dog?" I mumbled. Today was not going to be a good day. But honest, without a few bumps, how would you know you were walking on the road? I can take the little stuff life throws at me.

I got myself into the barn, took care of the beasts, gathered the milk, and shipped all but one. Same deal with my chickens, I saved an egg. I watered my plants, and saved a tomato, potato, carrot, and onion. Then, my chores being done, I marched back into the house. The fish stew would have to be made with the freezer-burn variety.

At four I had to be at Ruby's with a stunning dish.

*Fast forward to 3:44 PM*

"THAT DOES IT!" I yelled, setting down the hot dish on the table on a cork plate. Breathing a sigh of relief, I started to clean up, but realized I had no time. I turned off the stove, made sure everything was safe, and, grabbing my oven mitts, started to go to the inn.

**SKYE POV**

The smell of wonderful food roused me from a rather wonderful slumber. Truthfully, I was ashamed, as I rolled over in the bed, sinking lower into the soft mattress and pillows. A smile graced my lips without permission, as I thought of her.

Jill. It rhymes with Bill. It's boring as all get out. Yet it suited her completely, its simplicity was a lie, betrayed by those gorgeous eyes…

_Oh, someone's got it bad_… Sam sung to me.

I chuckled, and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes as I stretched and yawned. Ah, the bed was so comfy and the sun was nice and warm… I ended up curling back into a ball.

_Um, Skye? Your nocturnal, ain't going to be a sun up with you_… Sam reminded me. My eyes shot open wide as I took in the scene. Yep: defiantly sun. Not much, but enough. I glanced at the clock.

2:22 PM. Ugh, stupid valley. I dragged my carcass out of bed, tripping over my wig as I went. Yes, my wig. I need one if I'm going to be in broad daylight. Picking the stupid think up and tossing it on the bed, I grabbed clean clothes and headed into the wash room.

First mission: clean up.

Second mission: Find out where that smell of curry and paella is coming from…

The door creaked as I closed it, and I wandered down to the kitchen, flavors assaulting my senses. Breakfast would be in the fridge, and Ruby was doing a contest with the local women. I'd forgotten, but the smell of Ruby's Spice (which she'd mentioned she'd use) recalled it to me.

I sat down after a quick hello to her, and glanced about. Nami and Celia were already here, busying themselves with French toast Ruby had made us. I grabbed 2 slices, strawberries, and some syrup.

"We just wait for Jill now, Mr. Starr, and then you can judge for us, yeah?" Ruby asked me.

"Sure." I replied automatically. What guy would pass up free food? Then it dawned on me.

Jill was the purple eyed girl I rather was stalking in my mind. If she recognized me… I gulped down the bite I had in my mouth, the syrup not doing anything for the dryness I suddenly felt…

She came into the room, and set a casserole dish in the table. Funny, casseroles don't smell like my mother's strawberry pancakes… the smell got stronger and stronger and then someone was yelling…

"WAKE UP!"

Huh, what? I opened my eyes and realized… it was all a dream. I looked at my brother.

"I just had a dream about harvest moon…" I said sleepily.

"You have your DS on your bed; you probably fell asleep playing it. C'mon already, breakfast is getting cold!" I yawned, and got up.

Walking down the stairs, I thought to myself, this would make an amusing fanfic… my second thought was I will now never know who won the cooking contest! Well, at least there were pancakes.

**END!**


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